Have you ever wondered what it means to praise God and how we can do this effectively? This blog discusses what the scriptures say about praise and how we can successfully incorporate praise into every part of our lives.
Praise is a posture, an attitude of the heart where we acknowledge God for who He is as our creator and declare who we are in Him. Although we often limit the scope of praise to music, it goes far beyond this. Praise should be part of our everyday lives through our words and lifestyle.
Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord.’
Psalm 150:6
Why is it important to praise God?
Praise is one of the practical ways we can wait on the Lord. It gives us access to His presence, where we receive strength, peace, and empowerment as we let go of our fears and frailties. Praise brings us into intimacy with God. Our identity becomes clear as spend time with God. So how do we get started doing this? Here are three practical ways we can praise God.
Praising God using our words.
‘And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.’
Colossians 3:17
Using our words to praise God means that our speech should bring honour and glory to God. With our mouths, we give thanks to God for who He is and all He has done for us.
Praising God through our lifestyle.
As we praise God, we are expected to live in a way that is pleasing to him. Living a life of gratitude and thanksgiving, being gracious to others, remembering how gracious God is to us. It means we consider our actions carefully checking whether they bring honour to God. This is because we know that it is He who gave us our lives and apart from Him we can do nothing. This conscious living is praise.
Praising God with music.
We often praise God with music. There is something powerful about being in an atmosphere of praise, singing songs that glorify and honour God. Songs are like ladders we can use to access the presence of God. When we praise, these songs become a sacrifice, rising as an offering that is pleasing to God.
‘Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre, praise him with tambourine and dancing, praise him with the strings and pipe, praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals.’
Psalm 130:3-5
How to praise God effectively.
For praise to be effective, it needs to be from our hearts. We must mean it. Have you ever spoken to someone who was saying nice things to your face, but you knew they certainly did not mean it? God knows our hearts and people who only pay lip service to God are hypocrites and should not expect to receive anything from Him.
‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honour Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me.’ Matthew 15:8
Benefits of praising God
Now that we know what praise is and how we can praise God, I’d like us to look at the benefits of praise.
Praise brings us into God’s presence.
Praise is like a key which gives us access to God’s presence. The Bible says in Psalm 100:4
‘Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.
When we thank God for what he has done for us, we are acknowledging His presence and all that He is, proclaiming Him as our King. Praise is how we enter in!
Praise is a weapon of warfare.
Are you in a tough situation and not sure what to do? Maybe you’ve prayed and it seems like you’re not getting answers. Then you should praise! Praise invites God to fight our battles for us. In 2 Chronicles 20:13-24, a mighty terrible army was coming against King Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah and they were scared. When he prayed, God asked him not to be afraid because he would fight for them. So, the King and his people went into battle praising and trusting God. See what happened next.
‘As they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated.’
2 Chronicles 20:22
They went into battle praising God and God fought for them as He promised. Hold on to God’s promises today and praise Him. Praise is our weapon of warfare!
Praise brings supernatural supply
Let the peoples praise You, O God; Let all the peoples praise You. 6 Then the earth shall yield her increase; God, our own God, shall bless us.
Psalm 67:5-6 NKJV
Praising God unleashes blessings upon our lives. Look at it this way. In Genesis 3, mankind was sentenced to a life of struggle and the ground was cursed to bring forth thorns with hardship. However, the bible tells us in his word that God has commanded the earth to yield its increase for us when we praise. That means praise breaks the curse and brings us into abundance.
More Bible Verses about Praise
Here are some more bible verses that talk about praising God.
‘Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness, you have done wonderful things, things planned long ago.’
Isaiah 25:1
‘Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God’.
Psalm 42:11
‘In God, whose word I praise— in God, I trust and am not afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?’
Psalm 56:4
‘For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.’
Psalm 139:13-14
Living a praise-centred life.
A praise-centred life is a life completely focused on giving God the glory. We can do this with our words, songs, and lifestyle ensuring that the motives of our hearts are in the right place. This pulls us into God’s presence and reveals His heart to us. So, let’s dive in!
